


Blood of Silver

by Ashleye



Series: A Noble and most Ancient House [1]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Real Family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-28
Updated: 2018-08-08
Packaged: 2018-12-08 05:59:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11640384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ashleye/pseuds/Ashleye
Summary: She thought she knew what she was and where she came from... She wasn't even close.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I am very poor and own absolutely nothing. Btvs belongs to Joss whedon and the HP Universe belongs to J.K. Rowling. Some years ago, I previously posted this on TtH under a different pen name. I've decided to rework this a bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also - I've smudged timelines a bit. I know both Btvs and HP are set a few years back but I plan on writing them in the current year. The only other change is Buffy's birthday. I know that it's supposed to be towards the end of January but I'll be making it during late summer or early fall. It's important for the timeline later. This story will begin with Buffy being 14 and a freshman in highschool. She is a potential and will remain so for some time.
> 
> There is a fantastic video that a fan, trickS, did for Blood of Silver. Check it out at:  
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6IEXnO0Nz4

Buffy Summers was pretty sure that this was hell.

In hindsight, she had no idea why she’d let Cordelia and Harmony convince her that sneaking out and going to a frat party at UCLA was a great idea. Maybe because she was tired of being stuck at home, having to listen to her divorcing parents constant fighting and never-ending screaming matches. So, when the two older girls had drafted her as their third amigo for their planned night out, she’d jumped at the chance.

Buffy realized that her Mom didn’t approve of her friendship with the senior girls but hanging with them seriously upped her cool factor, especially for just a freshman. If she wanted her plans to rise to the top of the high school social hierarchy to work, getting in good with the current Queen was totally important. 

And that Queen was Cordy. 

So, she’d slipped into her shortest, tightest mini skirt and her favorite black top that showed just the right amount of cleavage. She’d strapped on the awesome pair of designer heels that she’d begged and badgered her Mom into buying for her over the summer. Taming her silvery gold hair into a sophisticated updo, applying just enough makeup to make her look just a little bit older, and adding just a tiny spritz of her Mom’s best perfume and she was ready to roll. 

Getting out of the house, on the other hand, was just a bit harder.

Hank, the man who used to be her Dad or step-father rather, had come over earlier that evening to go through things in the house with her Mom. They were just a few weeks from having The Divorce finalized and they were now formally going through and splitting everything. Hell, she was the only thing not being split down the middle. Hank had been successfully ignoring her and anything to do with her since The Incident this past summer. Buffy in turn, tried to ignore anything and everything that had to do with him. She had no plans on forgiving him anyway. 

The upside to all the ignoring going on was all the stuff Buffy could now get away with. Sneaking out being right at the top of the list. She’d been doing it more and more often, sneaking out and meeting up with the girls. She’d complain to her mother about a migraine or cramps and beg off to bed early. She’d lie in bed with her pajamas over her clothes for an hour… waiting for her mom’s inevitable bed check. Once she was sure that she could slip away unnoticed, it was out the window (leaving it cracked just a bit), down the trellis (hard but not impossible to do with heels), and through the neighbor’s bushes (with an eye out for his snippy little dog). 

And that was how she ended up here… hell.

Buffy had never been to a frat party before but it wasn’t nearly as cool as she’d imagined. The place was filled with college-age partygoers, loaded with booze and who knew what else. She’d been fending off overly grabby guys (and in one instance a girl) all night long. The music sucked and she was afraid to sit down because she was afraid of what she’d be sitting in. 

On top of that, Buffy had been in a foul mood all night. Her head hurt and something was up with the strobe light they had going in the other room because she kept seeing red splotches everywhere. 

Buffy spotted Cordy on the other side of the room, schmoozing it up with a guy she’d been trying to get her talons into all night long. A few feet away, Harmony was standing in the midst of a group of football players, downing bright green Jell-O shots and giggling incessantly. 

Buffy sighed. The things she put up with to be popular.

"Is it hot in here or is it just you?" 

She turned to the guy that had come up behind her. He was tall and lean, with dark hair and eyes. Cute but she’d seen better. And that pick-up line was totally lame.

Buffy raised a perfectly groomed eyebrow and gave him the stare of doom.

Mr. Suave looked non-plussed for a minute then blatantly looked her body up and down. He seemed to approve of her smooth golden curves. He gave her a wide grin and stepped closer, “Icy. I like that.” 

She rolled her eyes. Not only was this guy totally invading her personal space but it didn’t look like he was going to give up very easy either. The smell of beer was practically coming from his pores. She so wasn’t in the mood for this.

Buffy took a breath, “Look…”

“Parker.” He supplied eagerly.

“Parker. You seem… great. But I have a boyfriend.” Buffy said. She scanned the room, looking for a potential getaway.

Parker’s face was rapidly becoming unpleasant. “Look sweetheart, I’m not asking you to go steady here or something for God’s sake. You know, you seem a little tense. Obviously, your boyfriend ain’t getting the job done. But I have just the thing to make you feel good.” He made an obscene gesture with his hand and his groin.

Buffy looked at him in disgust. He’d used up all of her remaining patience and officially pissed her off.

“Dude, you can’t score for shit!” a voice suddenly crowed behind them.

It was Cordy and her latest boy toy Ryder (or was it Robert? Richard?). Harmony was right beside them clinging to the arm of a guy Buffy hadn‘t seen before. A couple of football players were standing not too far away, hanging on their every word, and laughing it up.

“Shut your mouth Anderson!” Parker glared at Ryan(?) and snapped. Rapidly, he spun back to Buffy, “I’m about to show this little bitch what she’s missing.”

Buffy narrowed her eyes at the word little. She’d show him little! 

“That’s enough Abrams.” It was the guy that currently had Harmony attached to him like a barnacle. He was tall and well built. While not as good looking as Cordelia’s date or even Parker, something about him was very charismatic. He detached Harmony in a move so smooth it had Buffy raising her brows. He strode forward and placed himself between her and the guy who was just about to get a knuckle sandwich.  
“Look, the girl’s clearly not interested. And you’ve obviously had too much to drink tonight. Why don’t you go sleep it off. Otherwise we’re going to have a problem. And you really don’t want to have a problem with me. Right?” Mystery guy said quietly.

It took the jackass formerly known as Parker five seconds to make a decision. He gave everyone one final glare and stomped off.

As if on que, Cordy and Harmony simultaneously squealed and started talking.

Harmony’s chatter was all for the Mystery Guy. She firmly reattached herself to his side; gazed adoringly at him, and preceded to gush about how brave and sweet he was coming to a girl’s rescue like that. She seemed to forget that it was Buffy’s rescue and not hers but Harmony was nothing if not skilled at ignoring annoying little facts that she didn‘t care for.

Cordelia on the other hand, headed straight for Buffy.

“Ohmygod! Can you believe that guy? What is his trauma?!” She exclaimed. Cordy shook back her lush mane of dark hair and angled her ample chest towards her date, clearly presenting her assets in their best light. She hooked an arm around Buffy’s shoulders.

“Sorry guys, but you’ll have to excuse us. I think my friend needs a minute to compose herself. Come on Harm.” she commanded.

She swept away, towing a takenaback Buffy and a rather annoyed Harmony in each hand. It did occur to Buffy to ask which friend Cordy was talking about. Her money was on Harmony. But then she’d probably be the only one who thought that was funny.

They reached a bathroom down the hall but the line to use it was wrapped around the house at least once. Not one to let a little thing like line etiquette slow her down, Cordelia simply shoved her way though, throwing glares and snapping insults to any who opposed her.

Buffy wrinkled her nose at the thought of being squeezed into the rather small bathroom with the two other girls. If the line was anything to go by, it had been used round the clock tonight (and it was a Fraternity’s bathroom anyway, so who knew how clean it was normally?). And even though she was small and petite, her two friends were both tall and curvy. Exactly how did Cordy think that this was going to work?

Clearly, Cordy didn’t care. As soon as that door was open, she shoved first Buffy, then Harmony, then herself inside.

Harmony quickly made herself at home, unabashedly deciding that this was the perfect time to take a pee. Buffy kept her eyes glued front and center and began humming to herself to drown out any noise. She had never considered herself shy or a prude but having to watch and hear Harmony Kendall using the restroom while she was in it with her wasn’t on her list of things to do ever. 

Cordelia didn’t even spare Harmony a glance. She immediately went to the mirror, checking her perfectly applied makeup. She straightened her ice-blue minidress. Although her attitude was relaxed, her eyes were glued on Buffy through the mirror. Cordy withdrew a slick silver tube from her tiny clutch purse.

“So,” eyes still on Buffy, she stroked on the dark red lipstick, “what was that out there?”

“What was what? You mean the guy who doesn’t understand ‘not interested’? Or the fact that Harmony shamelessly throws herself at anyone with a penis?” Buffy rolled her eyes.

“Hey!” Harmony squawked. She glared but said nothing else, used to losing in a battle of wits with Buffy. The girls barely got along at the best of times, the only thing they had in common was the constant quest for popularity and Cordy’s quasi-friendship. 

“Oh, shut up Harm.” Cordelia rolled her eyes, “You know it’s true. Jeez, have a little self-respect.” She turned from the mirror to look directly at Buffy. 

“I’m talking about the fact that you’ve been in a bad mood since we got here. We’ve gone to dozens of parties. You dance and you flirt and you shoot down losers. I’ve seen you be nice and I’ve seen you be a bitch. That’s normal. But tonight, you’re off your game. You’ve been sulking in the corner and biting people’s heads off. I don’t think you’ve been having any fun. And then that scene out there… What the hell is wrong with you?” She snapped, staring at her through narrowed eyes.

Buffy bit her tongue. She really hated it when Cordy got all high and mighty. She let out a deep breath, “Look, I know I’ve been… not myself tonight. I don’t know why I’m in such a crappy mood. I’ve got a really bad headache...”

Cordelia watched her for a moment, her face unreadable, “Are you seriously giving me the ‘I can’t tonight, I’ve got a headache’ spiel? Maybe I made a mistake thinking you were ready to be one of us. Maybe you’re burned out on all the partying… can’t handle the pressure. You’re too young. Yeah, you can walk the walk and talk the talk but when it comes right down to it, you’re just a kid. A fourteen-year-old kid. Maybe you just can’t keep up.”

Buffy knew what Cordelia was doing. Anytime she thought Buffy was stepping out of line, she threw her age in her face. She knew she was the youngest member of the popular clique at school. Hell, she’d just turned fourteen and was barely into the first semester of her freshman year. But despite her relative youth and small stature, Buffy was an early developer in ‘other areas’. That, coupled with her quick wit, sharp tongue, and awesome fashion sense often gave her the illusion of being older than she was. These traits were what brought her to the attention of Queen C and her Cordettes. Buffy liked hanging with them. They were the movers and shakers of their High School world. It got her respect and special consideration, things that she really liked. Unfortunately, Cordelia wanted Buffy under her thumb. Wanted her to be another Cordette. A loyal follower. The only problem was that Buffy wasn‘t much of a follower. Even for Cordelia Chase. 

Buffy drew herself up to her full height, “That’s crap Cordy, and you know it. I’ve kept up just fine with everything you’ve thrown at me. So I have one night that I’m not in a good mood. So what? I seem to recall you having a pretty bad night yourself a few weeks ago. Want to talk about that?” She said sarcastically.

Harmony watched wide eyed from the toilet as they squared off. Because of course she knew what Buffy was referring to. Everyone knew but no one had yet dared to say anything to Cordelia‘s face.

After all, catching the guy you’d been with for two years sleeping with your Biology teacher and then having him brutally dump you in front of everyone, it kind of tended to put a girl into a bad mood. And for someone like Cordelia Chase…Well, it made her a raging she-demon of fury and venom.

Cordy’s face went white then red and was making a rapid climb towards purple. She stepped close to Buffy, chest heaving, and glared down at the smaller girl.

“What did you just say to me?!” She practically growled through grinding teeth.

Buffy couldn’t believe she was actually saying this to Cordelia’s face either. It was practically social suicide to take Cordy on at this point. But the strange mood that had been making Buffy sullen and snappish all night was still riding her, urging her recklessly on. A tiny voice in the back of her mind was frantically saying, Shut up! Shut Up right now! Before you say something you’ll regret!

She shoved that little voice further back and stood her ground. She’d try this diplomatically.

“You heard me.” She took a deep breath, “Look, I know that the last thing that you want to do is talk about that night and I understand that. I’m just trying to point out that I can be in a bad mood and it not be the end of the world. And yes, I know that I’m younger than you guys and I do appreciate everything that you’ve done for me. Please don’t think that I don’t.”

She brought out the big guns. The Pout. Feared by Men and Women alike.

Buffy gave her the bambi eyes and let her chin tremble slightly, “I just thought that we were friends. And friends are honest with each other, right?”

Cordelia was now watching her thoughtfully. The anger had been lessening from her face throughout Buffy’s little speech and had been visibly wiped out when she’d brought out the Pout. But Buffy didn’t let down her guard for a minute. Cordelia was smart and knew when she was being snowed. It was after all, why she was Queen C. 

“Maybe you’re right,” Cordy said slowly, “Friends should be honest with each other. So, I’ll be honest with you. The issue isn’t really with your bad attitude tonight. You’ve been getting moodier for a while now. I think,” she sneered the word, “that you’re letting issues at Home get to you. Mommy and Daddy still fighting?” 

Buffy could practically feel her blood pressure rising. If Cordelia’s dirty laundry with her ex was taboo, then Buffy’s family life was as well. 

And the older girl wasn’t done yet.

“Look Buff, here’s the deal. You have a lot of promise. I think with a bit of grooming, you could take my place when I graduate at the end of this year. When I first took you under my wing, you had focus and drive. But lately your ‘tude has been less than stellar. I think you need to get your act together. In fact,” Cordy went to her purse and pulled something out. 

“I think you should go home. And decide what’s more important to you. Immeasurable popularity… or whatever freak show is going on at home.” She marched back over to Buffy and shoved something in her hand.

“So get a cab or something and get out of here. And for god’s sake put some lipstick on. People know you came with me. I have a reputation ya know.” She turned to Harmony. “Move it Harm, we need to get to our guys before those Tri-Delta bitches try to make a move.” She stalked out the door without a look back. Harmony straightened her bright yellow tube top and smoothed her own long blonde hair, throwing a smug look at Buffy as she followed.

Buffy looked at what Cordelia had shoved into her hand. A wad of cash, presumably for the cab and Cordy’s lipstick.

It was embarrassing to be sent home from the party like a child but on the other hand the fact that Cordelia Chase wanted to groom her for Queen was something. Not that She needed the help but it did mean that her place would be assured when Cordy graduated. Overall, she couldn’t help feel a little relieved. Her bad mood wasn’t going away and right now sleeping in her own bed sounded great. A good night’s sleep and she’d be ready to tackle whatever problems Cordelia tried to send her way tomorrow. 

Buffy slipped out her sleek little cell phone from a hidden pocket in her skirt. One phone call later and she had the assurance that a cab would be there soon. Now, all she had to do was wait.

Someone started banging on the door. 

Buffy stuffed the cell, money, and lipstick into her pocket and went to let the desperate person in.

As she left the bathroom, she could see that the party was still in full swing. Buffy noticed Harmony heading upstairs with one of the football players from earlier. Apparently, Mystery guy had successfully evaded Ms. Grabby Hands. Huh, good for him.

Cordelia was working the crowd across the room. From here it looked like she and her guy were attached at the hip and from the look on her face, she was totally in her element. For a second, their eyes met. Cordy’s were dark and confident. They watched each other for a moment more before Cordelia broke their staring contest, tossing her hair and laughing at something her boy toy was saying.

“You okay?” came from Buffy’s left.

Mystery Guy was standing on the balcony attached to the hallway. He had a drink in his hand and was watching her quietly. 

Buffy was surprised to see him. But then again…

“Hiding from Harmony?” she asked guessed. She walked out and stood next to him. He was tall. She liked that in a guy.

He flashed a crooked grin and let out a light chuckle, “How’d you know?” 

“You’re not the first. Harmony can sometimes be… well, hard to handle. I’ve seen guys climb right out of windows to get away.” Buffy joked.

“I see.” He studied her for a moment, “So are you? Okay I mean? Because Abrams-” 

She interrupted him with a shrug, “Not the first jerk I’ve come across that can’t take no for an answer. Probably won’t be the last. And thanks, by the way… for stepping in. I’d hate to have had to hurt him.”

She surprised a laugh out of him.

“No problem. My names Tom by the way. Tom Warner. And you are?” Tom stepped forward, holding his hand out to her.

She smiled and shook it.

“Buffy Summers.”

“So what are you doing out here? Cause I don’t know if you’ve realized this but there’s a party inside.” Tom joked. He was studying her face as he spoke and Buffy wondered what it was he was looking for.

“Yeah, I know. But actually, I think I’m going to head home. I’m really just not in a partying mood.” She shrugged as she spoke. She would have missed the look that passed over his face if she’d have blinked. As it was, she had no idea what it meant.

“So, uh, you want me to walk you to your car?” He offered.

“Um, no that’s okay. Actually, Cordelia was my ride but she’s staying so… I’m actually waiting for a cab.” Buffy said as nonchalantly as possible. She really didn’t want to explain that she didn’t even have her learner’s permit yet.

“Oh,” he sounded both surprised and disappointed, “I’ll walk you down and wait with you.”

She was touched by the offer, he was totally sweet… but… the last thing she needed was Harmony seeing that and throwing a tantrum. Knowing her, Harm would totally live up to her nickname and destroy her reputation by spilling the beans about her real age. There would be no more parties, no more cute older boys. No way.

“Actually, it should be here by now. You should totally enjoy the party. I appreciate the offer though. You’re sweet.” Buffy smiled at him.

He sighed, and then smiled, “It was really nice meeting you Buffy. Maybe we’ll see each other again sometime.”

“I’d like that. Bye Tom.” She gave a little wave and escaped back into the hallway.

Buffy was careful on the way out of the house not to be spotted by Cordy or Harmony. She was more than ready to get out of here and didn’t want to get waylaid by the terrible twosome again. 

The cab was waiting right at the curb, the on-duty sign lit up brightly. She jumped in, practically headfirst, and gave the startled driver her address. As Buffy settled back, she gazed out the window and watched as the Frat house got smaller and smaller. And then it was gone. 

Driving home, Buffy finally managed to relax. She didn’t know what it was but leaving that house lifted a tension off of her she hadn‘t realized was there. Now if only the thought of going home didn’t make her head pound. 

She sighed and shifted a little on the seat.

Her parents had been together for eleven years. Buffy had been three when they’d married, and Hank had immediately adopted her. He’d been the only father she’d ever known. They’d been happy. They’d been a family. Until a few years ago, when things started falling apart. 

At first, there was just the arguing. Then came her Dad’s affair. Then there was her Mom throwing him out. Then taking him back. Her parents had gone to counseling and things had been good for a while. The arguing started again when her Mom opened the Art Gallery downtown last May. 

It was around that time that Buffy started having the nightmares. Horrific ones that woke her drenched in sweat and screaming for her mother. They were never the same one, all of them were different. The only things they had in common were monsters, violent pain, and death. Buffy couldn’t explain them… She rarely watched scary or gory movies. Her Mother had seemed worried but also convinced they were just a phase. A phase of what, she hadn’t been very clear on. Her Dad seemed to think it was just her way of seeking attention. 

It wasn’t until the last school dance of her junior high that things got really weird. She’d gone with her longtime friend and former crush Ford. He’d left to get them some punch and she’d been chatting with a gaggle of her girlfriends when a group of older strangely disfigured people crashed the party. 

They’d laughed and made threats. One of the guys had grabbed another girl standing next to Buffy. She been scared, so scared. She didn’t remember what he’d been saying when he’d suddenly burst into dust. Standing behind where he’d been standing was a tall, thin girl with a long dark ponytail, wearing jeans and a hideous pair of combat boots. Then she’d begun to move, fighting with the gang. She’d been beautiful then, and terrible to watch.

The rest of Buffy’s memories of that night were pretty fuzzy, she’d been told, due to shock, adrenaline, and PTSD. Some things were crystal clear though – being grabbed from behind, someone trying to drag her away. The fear, the sudden heat from all around, the smell of smoke, the tendrils of flame licking up the wall, always seemingly reaching for the people at the center of the chaos. Everything going fuzzy until waking up in the back of an ambulance. Also, clear as crystal, was her Hank’s reaction to the story she’d had to tell about what happened that night. He’d flipped. Apparently, no one knew who started the fire that had burned down the school gym but since it had been strongest around where Buffy was standing, all fingers were now pointing to her. 

Her Mom brushed it off. She never outright questioned Buffy about that night, just seemed happy that her baby had made it out in one piece. Some of the other kids hadn’t.

Hank had waited until the day Joyce had to go back into the office, and then he’d loaded her into the car and drove her out of town to the Sunnydale Mental Health Institute. To The freaking Nut House. 

To say that Buffy went quietly was a lie. To say that they had six large men drag her tiny frame kicking, screaming, and eye gauging all the way to her ’room’ were they promptly had to tie her down was a little closer to the truth. 

She’d been there for a month. They’d done test after test, put her on all kinds of medications, and she’d come very close to a little session of electro-shock therapy.

Thank God for her mom. Who’d apparently gone ape-shit when she found out what Hank had done. She’d immediately called her lawyer, filed for divorce and sued the institute who refused to release her child. Apparently, just because one parent checks you in doesn’t mean that the other can check you back out whenever they want. Hank had signed her in for a six-month assessment evaluation. However, one month of dealing with her mother on the outside and Buffy on the inside, and they’d practically gift-wrapped her and overnighted her back.

Since then her mother had coddled and spoiled her, trying desperately to make up for what her ex-husband had done. As for the man himself, not a single word had been spoken between him and Buffy and she‘d taken to referring to him as Hank. It was still a hard thing for her to process… she’d spent her whole life loving him as her father and believing that he’d loved her but that he’d so easily thrown her away had stunned her with a hurt and anger so deep that sometimes she doubted she’d ever recover.  
As the cab slowly made its way down her street, Buffy just hoped that he would be gone by now.

No such luck. Buffy cursed silently as she spied his Mercedes still parked outside at the curb. That meant that her Mom and Hank were both still up and she’d have to sneak back in. Funny enough, it was never as easy to sneak back in as it was to sneak out.

She paid the cabby and watched him leave before turning to look over her house. It was a two-story Spanish Colonial and her mother had put in countless weekends working on the immaculate yard and flourishing garden. Buffy’s favorite part was the trellis at the back of the house… It had certainly made going out these past few months rather easy.

Climbing up the trellis was much harder than climbing down. By the time she made it to the window, Buffy had already gotten three scratches and quite a few thorns in some very uncomfortable places. Her window was slightly cracked just like she had left it, making it easy to slip the tips of her fingers in and lift it the rest of the way open. 

Her room was dark. 

Buffy carefully made her way to the bedside table and flipped the lamp on. 

Her room was a collage of her childhood. The walls were still covered in the pink and white striped wallpaper that her mom and Hank had put up when they’d moved in. Countless boy band posters and pictures of friends adorned the walls as well. Shelves held books, figurines, stuffed animals, and various trophies. A pair of ice skates dangled from the back of her bedroom door. Her bed was the focal point in the room; her fluffy white down comforter and the multitude of throw pillows making it look incredibly inviting right about now. And as always, Mr. Gordo was waiting for her in the middle of her bed.

She toed off her heels and kicked them across the room, blindly aiming for the open closet. Buffy headed for her bathroom and tossed her skirt and top into the hamper. She grabbed her favorite blue sleeping shirt and shorts combo off the counter where she’d left them earlier, and slipped them back on. 

A quick glance in the mirror had her washing the makeup off her face and pulling the pins out of her hair, tousling it as she went. Common sense told her that it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to see her mom or even Hank for that matter all dolled up with as far as they knew, no place to go. Not good at all.

Buffy went to her bedroom door and hesitated. It had been eerily quiet downstairs since she’d climbed in through her window. Usually, if you put her Mom and Hank in the same vicinity you could hear them down the street. They’d certainly been going at it when she’d snuck out earlier…

Buffy placed her ear against the door but still couldn’t hear anything. Maybe they’d decided to give each other the silent treatment?

She waited a minute to practice her sleepy face before heading downstairs. 

Even from the staircase she could see that the lights were still on throughout the house. She headed down the hallway for the living room.

“Mom?” Buffy called, “Where are you?”

Not in here, she thought. The place looked like a wreck. There were boxes on every available surface and piles of stuff that had yet to be sorted everywhere else. The dining room, office, and downstairs bathroom were in similar disarray. 

Heading for the Den, she called out again, “Mom? You in here?”

Even before she got to the door, the smell hit her. It was a odd smell, dark and rusty. The realization was somewhere in the back of her mind but it was enough to have her hurrying. Buffy tried not to worry or panic, had there been an accident? Maybe a box cutter slipped or something glass had been broken? Maybe they were at the emergency room right now… maybe that’s why it was so quite…

The room looked empty but that didn’t stop the worried, “Mom?” that escaped her.

She was turning to head for the kitchen when something in her peripheral had her spinning around, the bottom of her stomach unexpectedly falling away.

A lone shoe. One of her mom’s flats. Wedged between the coffee table and the far sofa.

Buffy was moving before the thought even occurred to her. She called out a slightly louder “Mom?!”

She rounded the arm of the sofa and felt her world tilt. The red was everywhere. It took a moment for Buffy’s mind to process what she was seeing. Her mother’s body.

Her mom.

She was splayed face down on the floor and blood was everywhere. On the rug, the couch, the leg of the table. On her dad’s golfing trophy that lay right next to her. All over the back of her head.

Buffy never noticed herself moving but she must have because she was suddenly kneeling next to her mother and trying to turn her over.

She kept hearing from a great distance a voice, high and frantic, repeatedly crying, “Mom? Mom! Mommy?!”

Buffy could see her own hands shaking her mother, but somehow it didn’t seem like they were her hands. If her mother felt her, touched her, she would wake up. She would. Joyce Summers would open her eyes and smile up at her and she would say, “Don’t worry, Sweetheart. I’ve just had a bit of an accident.”

She would open her eyes.

Please mom, she prayed, just open your eyes. 

Buffy could see the hands that weren’t hers stop shaking her mother. They had moved, frantically patting her mother’s face… hovered over the place on her mother’s neck were her pulse would be. She couldn’t bring herself to actually feel for it. It had to be there. It couldn’t not be there.

Her vision was suddenly blurred… Buffy could feel the tears on her face, could feel them dripping down her neck. Her throat and chest burned. 

Her hands had moved to the wound on the back of her mother’s head, and when she pulled them away she saw that they were covered in blood… and something else. Something thicker and that wasn’t blood.

The realization had her scrambling to her feet and running for the kitchen. She had to get to the phone, had to call an ambulance. 

She had to get an ambulance. It was bad, so bad. She needed help. Someone had to help her mom.

Buffy staggered to the kitchen. She passed the mirror in the hallway and could see the blood that drenched the entire front of her shirt, her arms and hands, and even a smudge on her face. 

When did she touch her own face? The thought was wild and inane but her mind was grasping for something to hold onto.

Entering the kitchen, she didn’t know what it was that she noticed first. The shoes maybe…weren’t those Dad’s favorite sneakers? 

At first, it was just a large object hanging from the crossbeams. Then, once she noticed the arms and legs and hey, wasn’t that dad’s shirt? 

Then she focused at the top, at the face which was bloated and swollen and looked nothing like…

Then Buffy was on her knees, violently vomiting on the cold tile floor. 

Gray Spots covered her vision.

This was Hell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Anyone who guessed what frat party this was and exactly who Tom Warner and Cordy's boytoy were gets candy. And probably the reason why Cordelia Chase and Harmony Kendall were never seen again. :)
> 
> Note II: A few things - I do plan on throwing some things in from the Btvs movie, such as her dreams of past lives and stuff. She is a potential in this story... which have their own abilities as we will see.


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to bring attention to the fantastic video that trickS did for Blood of Silver. Check it out at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6IEXnO0Nz4

The light from the torches flickered, casting long shadows on the stone walls.

Ysabeau rushed down the abandoned corridor, her long dark skirts swirling around her legs, the silver veil flowing out behind her. 

The smell was what reached her first. Dank and decaying, it flooded the air, soaking into all of her senses. The creatures were close. 

As if from far away, the thunder of the drums echoed… the Knights preparing for the coming battle. 

She gave a wild laugh, the sound desperate even to her ears. If they only knew that the battle was already here.

There was wetness on her hands and face. The taste of copper in her mouth. 

The rasp of heavy breathing filled the silence and it took Ysabeau moments to realize that it was not her own. The blow that struck, came from the back and the force threw her to the ground and----

 

Buffy woke up.

Her eyes snapped open then automatically squeezed shut at the bright light that had flooded the bedroom. She groaned and gave serious thought to the idea of burying herself back under the covers with Mr. Gordo and giving into the stupor of sleep for the foreseeable future.

She could hear Lindsey in the kitchen, no doubt making her breakfast. The thought of food was enough to set her stomach rumbling and she gave a token sigh before sloughing off the covers and leaving the bed.

Buffy staggered to the bedroom door, avoiding the sight of herself in the mirror that hung on the back. She knew what she looked like - face pale and eyes puffy, her long hair uncombed and knotted. She wasn’t even wearing her own pajamas, instead an old pair that had once belonged to her mother. Although they were baggy and too long, Joyce had worn them often enough that they still smelled like her. When Buffy buried her face into the fabric, she could still smell her mother’s favorite soap, traces of the oils and lotions that she had often used on her skin, and underneath that…just Mom.

Tears welled up and she blinked them back. She felt like she’d cried enough for a lifetime. 

Buffy continued through the door. Lindsey had seen her looking worse anyway.

The lawyer was in the kitchen with his back to her when she walked in. He was cooking something at the sleek piece of art that claimed to be a stove that smelled an awful lot like French toast and her tummy gave another grumble in anticipation. She couldn’t blame it. She’d barely eaten anything lately.

Lindsey gave her a warm smile when she plopped herself down on a stool at the island. “Get any sleep?” he asked.

She gave a shrug, “I slept okay.” There was no need to mention the latest nightmare.

He gave her a look that told her clearly that he wasn’t buying it but instead of pushing, he changed the subject, “Hungry?”

“I could eat.” Buffy gave him a small smile.

“Good.” Lindsey looked pleased. He’d been fretting over her lack of appetite and sleep patterns since she’d come to stay with him. It was both annoying and endearing.  
Turning back to the counter, he began piling food onto her plate, “So the social worker, a Ms. Steele, is supposed to be meeting us at the office at 11:30. That gives you some time to eat, shower, and get dressed before we need to leave.” He turned back and set the plate in front of her. He’d loaded it with French toast and bacon. 

Eagerly, she shoved the first bite into her mouth. Buffy knew it wasn’t ladylike but she was too hungry and it was too good for her to care. It wasn’t till she was halfway through her second piece that she looked back up at him. He was watching her with an amused grin that made his very good-looking face turn nearly unbearably handsome.

She shoved a piece of bacon into her mouth and asked, “What? You’ve never seen someone hungry before?”

“Sorry, just never seen someone literally inhale food before.” He teased.

She rolled her eyes and tried not to smile, “Oh please, you know you’re an awesome cook. Stop fishing for compliments.”

He let out a light chuckle before his face grew somber, “Are you feeling ready for this?”

She nodded but didn’t look up from her plate as she replied, “Ms. Steele. 11:30. Your office. I’ll be ready. With bells on even.”

“You know what I mean, Buff.” His blue eyes were serious and his voice gentle, “If you want another day or two, I can push back the meeting. It’s up to you, don’t worry about anything else.” 

This time she met his eyes, “I’m ready Lindsey.” She said it sincerely, “So stop worrying. You’ll get wrinkles and gray hair. Well, more anyway.”

He huffed and threw a dish towel at her, “Hey! Oh, that’s real nice. Finish eating then go hop in the shower. We’ve got a lot to do.”

As he left the room, Buffy let the smile and humor fade from her face.

The truth was that she wasn’t ready. She was nowhere near ready for what was coming.

It had only been five days since the night that changed her life. When Buffy tried to think back, it always seemed to be divided… her life then, and her life now. Then She’d had a mom, one who had loved and cherished her. One that had always been there, waiting with open arms and reassurances. Then she’d been part of a family and had been sure that she always would be. Then she’d been Buffy Anne Summers. She’d been confident in herself and in her ability to take on anything and everything. 

And then there was Now. Now she had nothing. Her mother was gone, murdered by a man that had sworn to love and protect her. Now her mom wasn’t even the same person. In her place was now the knowledge of another woman’s life. A stranger. Now she knew Nothing. Now Buffy was alone. Abandoned. Now… who was she? She couldn’t be that girl anymore. Would never have that same innocence. She could never go back and unlive that night.

What was left? To go forward apparently.

These past few days had shown her that.

After walking into the kitchen and finding the body of Hank, Buffy didn’t even remember calling 911. She’d been huddled in the hallway, clutching the cordless phone to her chest and staring off into the distance when the police and paramedics showed up. The paramedics had said something about shock to Detective Lockley, the police officer that had been trying to ask her questions. 

The detective had been getting more and more frustrated with Buffy’s lack of response and had been rapidly losing patience with the traumatized girl.

Thankfully, that’s about the time when Lindsey McDonald showed up. He was a good looking, well-dressed man with rich brown hair and sharp blue eyes. Buffy knew him of course. He’d been her mother’s friend and lawyer for a couple of years, handling all of the Art Gallery’s legal matters. 

But Lindsey had always gone out of his way to be nice to her and she in turn had always liked him. She even liked to think of him as her pseudo big brother. Seeing him dressed in a crisp suit, not a hair out of place despite the fact that it was two in the morning, had been something tangibly familiar that she could grab on to. She knew Lindsey would take care of everything. He would take care of her. 

She’d so needed someone to take care of her.

And he had. She’d been pretty out of it at the time so she wasn’t exactly sure what he’d done but the police had backed off and talk of child services had gone away. And then he’d whisked her off to his penthouse apartment. 

Buffy had been inconsolable. He’d given her a day to herself before sitting her down and gently explaining that he had handled other things for her mother besides business matters. He was the executor of her mother’s will and would be serving as her temporary guardian. That had been enough to bring Buffy out of her stupor but when pressed, Lindsey wouldn’t explain anymore. He’d said that he would tell her everything the next day when she’d had sleep and a clearer head.

That’s what she liked most about Lindsey. Although he was a lawyer, and a pretty impressive one at that, and could manipulate and pull the strings with the best of them, he was always straight with her. Buffy wasn’t sure if this was because he’d been such good friends with her mother or because he had a soft spot for kids with raw deals but she knew she could trust him. Her mother certainly had after all.

The following morning wasn’t any better. Buffy had barely gotten any sleep. She’d simply cried most of the night. Some of the fog that had taken over her mind since that night had lifted but with it gone, realization was now sinking in and it wasn’t any better.

Her mother was gone. Dead. Murdered by the man who had raised her, who had been her father. A man that had then taken his own life. No one could explain why…it had been a fairly simply divorce. He’d been eager to get rid of them, to start his own life anew. To the police, it made no sense.  
Buffy had never hated anyone before, but for him… it grew in her heart and married with the grief and loss, staining all of her childhood memories of him and their small family. She’d never felt so alone in the world. Oh sure, she had Lindsey but he couldn’t keep her forever. He’d said it himself, he was her ’temporary guardian’. So, who was her actual guardian?

Apparently, as Lindsey had explained that first morning, it was her mother’s estranged brother. Lucius Malfoy.

“Huh?” had been Buffy’s only response.

To say she was confused was pretty accurate. Joyce had told Buffy of her own childhood several times. Her mother had been an only child. Joyce Summers had been an army brat, traveling the world with her own mother and soldier father her entire childhood. She’d even explained to Buffy more than once that that was how she’d acquired a faint accent. Joyce had often said that she’d had a falling out with her strict family and had left home, becoming something of a wild child for a number of years. By the time she’d gotten pregnant with Buffy, her parents had passed… So it had always been just them.

Only, according to Lindsey, that wasn’t true.

Hell, according to Lindsey, her Mom was a British citizen. “British!” She‘d gaped. 

As Lindsey explained further, Buffy could actually feel the foundation that her life was built on start to crumble.

Her mother’s name wasn’t Joyce. It was Josceline Malfoy. Josceline Malfoy had grown up in England, part of a very well to do family. She’d had one brother, younger, and they’d been quite close. She’d left home at seventeen due to ‘family issues’ and hadn’t looked back. She’d ended up in America, changed her name, had Buffy, married Hank, and lived out her life as Joyce Marie Summers.

Buffy had been reeling. In fact, had had to sit down, “How do you know all this? She told you this?” 

Lindsey had nodded, “She did. When I became her lawyer, Joyce---”

“Don’t you mean Josceline?” She’d scowled.

He gave her a look, “Joyce was very upfront about everything. And she was very explicit in the will she had made up. In the case of her death, I would become your temporary guardian until the time I could locate and contact her brother, Lucius, who she named as your legal guardian.”

“So?” She’d asked warily, “Have you? Contacted him I mean?”

Lindsey had actually hesitated, “Not yet. He’s a rather difficult man to get a hold of, I’m afraid. Plus, the… government channels we have to go through in both countries---”

She’d interrupted again, “Hold up! What do you mean… countries?” 

Lindsey had given her an exasperated look, “Well, he lives in England---”

“England!”

“Yes!!!” He’d snapped, “Now, if you’ll let me finish! He lives in England---”

“I’m going to have to live in England, aren’t I?! ”

“BUFFY! If you’d just let me---”

“But I’m an American! It’s like a whole other world over there!” She’d wailed.

Lindsey had opened his mouth then shut it again. He’d cleared his throat rather awkwardly and clearly braced himself, “Uh, yeah, about that. Buffy… what exactly do you know about… Magic?”

As Buffy had sat there, wide eyed and disbelieving, Lindsey had gone on to explain that where she would be going was indeed a whole other world. The Wizarding World. While half of her had been convinced this was all a joke, the other half had believed. After all, hadn’t she seen those men turn to dust that night at the dance? Hadn’t she seen the fire itself reach out from the wall and lash out at them when they’d come after her? When she brought these things up hesitantly, Lindsey seemed relieved, “They were Vampires. After you told your mother what happened, she knew right away you were telling the truth. I believe that the girl you saw fighting them was what is known as a Slayer. You’ve seen something rare indeed, Buffy. They’re mythical beings, a lot of people don’t even believe in them. But don’t you realize Buffy? That girl wasn’t the only thing that saved your life that night. Your magic did.”

“What.” Buffy gaped.

“The fire. That was you. You’re an untrained witch and your magic created the fire as a defense mechanism. It was pretty impressive actually. Your mother was very proud.” he said.

She’d stared at him, “You’re saying I can do magic? Like the bibbity-bobbity-boo kinda stuff? Or like pulling rabbits out of hats?”

“Well, with the right training, probably a little bit of both.” He’d smiled.

Buffy had sat there for a moment, taking it all in. “Why didn’t she ever tell me?” 

“She was trying to protect you,” Lindsey said softly, “Joyce wanted you to have a normal childhood. She was planning on telling you everything after high school, then teach you magic herself if you wanted to learn. Look… she never really talked about her past. She simply told me what she thought I’d need to know. My personal opinion was that, well, I think she was trying to escape something. Something that happened when she was young. She never told me what, who, or why… but she always seemed convinced that she’d made the right decision for her. I did my best to respect that and not pry.”

Lindsey went on to tell her more about this ’so-called wizarding society’. The immensity of it all simply baffled her. 

Buffy studied him for a moment before asking, “So you’re a wizard too?”

Lindsey had let out a dark chuckle, running a hand through his hair, “Something like that. My mother was a witch who chose not to practice. My brothers and I kind of learned the backwoods way of things growing up. But by the time I began working for Wolfram & Hart, I’d already picked up a few tricks that help me keep up.”

“Wolfram & Hart… wizards work there?” She was curious.

“All kinds work there. While they do take on ’normal’ high profile clients, the firm specializes in representing magical folk. Wizards & witches, demons, fairies, basically you name it and we’ve had it as a client.” He’d explained.

“Could I come in and see? Cause seeing and hearing about are two different things.” She’d pointed out.

Lindsey shook his head, “Not tonight. You need to get some sleep, enough so that those circles go away under your eyes. Maybe tomorrow night I’ll take you out and show you your proof.”

 

The next night, Lindsey had stayed true to his word and taken her to her proof. Downtown to a karaoke bar called Caritas and introduced her to Lorne, the green skinned, red-eyed demon owner. Demon or not he was the sweetest guy she’d ever met. He’d pinched her cheeks, called her a looker, and slipped her some fancy martini called a ’naughty schoolgirl’ when Lindsey wasn’t looking.

It certainly didn’t take him long to notice though, “Lorne! She’s fourteen!” he’d practically growled.

“Keep your pants on. It’s a virgin.” He reassured her irate guardian. He waited until Lindsey had turned to the stage before looking back at Buffy and winking.

She’d been surprised to find herself grinning back. 

They’d spent most of the evening sitting with Lorne, watching the strangest creatures come and go and the frequent magical chaos they brought with them. She’d stared and gawked and had even come close to pointing rather rudely a few times… but by the end of the night she was definitely a believer.  
Buffy was surprised at how disappointed she was to say goodbye to Lorne and his corner of the world. Even though they’d just met, Lorne had a way of making everyone feel good around him. In fact, he seemed to be rather fond of her as well if the gift he rather insistently pressed upon her meant anything.

It was a small book, old with most of the writing on the cover worn off.  
“I picked this little beauty up at an inner-dimensional swap meet downtown a few months ago. Got a great bargain. Of course, once I got home I had no idea what to do with it. I’m not exactly Glenda after all.” In an aside, He muttered out of the side of his mouth to Buffy, “I’m a shopaholic you know. It’s a sickness.”  
She laughed, as he’d meant her to, but curiously opened the cover. The pages were yellowed and brittle but the writing was dark and written in a crisp hand. And, from what she could see on the first few pages, it was a book of Magic.

She gawked before jerking her gaze to Lorne, the smile on her face delighted and genuine, “Thanks!”

His eyes held warmth, “You’re very welcome. I know you’ll probably get a lot of fancy wand waving instruction soon enough but I had a feeling this might come in handy for you till then.”  
Engrossed in her very first spell book, Buffy missed the sharp look Lindsey shot Lorne.

That night was a good memory compared to the rest of the week. Although Lindsey tried to take care of things discreetly, there were a fair few things that required her input - From ordering a cleaning crew to her former home, having them pack up the house, packing up her own things, to, of course, the cremation of her mother’s body.

Apparently, even though Joyce had run from her ancestral home years ago, it still meant something to her. Her mother had written explicitly that she wanted her ashes entombed at her childhood home, Malfoy Manor. Lindsey planned on speaking to her Uncle about the details whenever they finally managed to speak with him. For now, her mom’s ashes were in a silver urn that sat on the dresser of her current room. Buffy found it impossible to look directly at them.

Finding and contacting Lucius Malfoy had turned out to be much harder that anyone had thought. Not because they didn’t know where he lived or where he was but because of all the bureaucratic red tape with both magical governments that they had to go through. 

Lindsey had spoken with an organization he called MACUSA about the situation and they in turn had contacted their British counterpoint- the Ministry of Magic. The Ministry had then contacted her Uncle. Eager to know anything about this mysterious family member, Buffy had relentlessly questioned Lindsey. It was no use however, since the lawyer didn’t know much more that she did. All they did know for sure was that Lucius Malfoy had been notified that his sister had died and that he had been granted the guardianship of her daughter. 

A day later, MACUSA (or as Lindsey explained - The Magical Congress of the United States of America) notified them that in just a few days, an official meeting had been scheduled for all parties in Roanoke, one of the few all magic cities in America. They were sending one of their social workers, a Ms. Steele, to meet with them and escort them to said city. Although, Lindsey was recognized as her temporary guardian and lawyer, Ms. Steele had been assigned to look after Buffy as well until custody was handed over to her uncle. Buffy, Lindsey, and the social worker would be arriving a day ahead of the scheduled meeting to fill out paperwork and have a small interview with a government official. Apparently, when you were an orphaned, underage, and untrained witch that was going to be changing countries, you tended to generate a lot of paperwork.

After finishing up her breakfast, Buffy placed the dishes in the dishwasher and headed for the bathroom. Today was more than likely going to be difficult and she would do her best to be ready for it. 

God, she was incredibly nervous. She was going to be meeting a new family member tomorrow… But what did she even know about the guy? He could be an axe murderer.

Okay, Buffy admitted to herself as she turned the shower on, Probably not an axe murderer. Mom did name him my guardian and he is her brother. I am overreacting. He’s probably an old jolly fat guy who loves kids and has always wanted a daughter to spoil.

The thought immediately cheered her up as she stepped into the hot spray. As she lathered up, another thought occurred to her. Malfoy Manor…well, it sounded pretty snooty to her but weren’t really big houses called Manors? And if that were the case… well, how many lonely old portly uncles with no kids and who had always wanted a daughter to spoil lived in places like a Manor? Not many and those that did were probably not her Uncle. No, her uncle would probably be one of those withered old men, the tall kind with hooked noses who liked to swoop around glaring at you if you breathed wrong.

Buffy groaned as she began to shampoo her hair. That would be just her luck to get Uncle Hooknose.

She was applying conditioner to her ends when yet another thought occurred to her, what if he wasn’t lonely? Her mother’s will had specifically stated her guardian was Lucius Malfoy. Just him. But her mother hadn’t spoken to her brother in years. He could be married and have kids or hell, even just a girlfriend. He might not want any extra company. What if he didn’t want her? 

Buffy was drying herself off by the time she managed to reassure herself. Although she figured he wouldn’t be traveling across an ocean to come and get her if he didn’t want her, she certainly wasn’t going to cast him as the Daddy Warbucks to her Orphan Annie.

She’d be practical and simply wait to see what he was like. If she got her hopes up… well, chances were that she’d be disappointed right? Right.

Dressed in a towel and with her wet hair falling down her back in tangled curls, she walked back into the guestroom she’d been staying in. The once impeccable room was now far from it. Boxes and suitcases littered not only the floor but ever other available surface. The cleaning crew that Lindsey had sent to her house had been magical in nature and it showed.

It hadn’t even taken them a day to clean and pack up everything on the premises, leaving the house in perfect condition for being sold. All of Buffy’s own things had been packed in these boxes and suitcases. Everything else, namely her mother’s things and furniture, had already been packed and shrunk. Of all the magic Buffy had seen so far, that had impressed her the most. Lindsey had promised to do her things as well but was waiting till right before they left, giving her time to pack a small bag of things she wouldn‘t have to worry about unshrinking right away. 

The bag she planned on taking was open on the bed. She’d already placed a few things inside, mostly clothes - underwear, a nightgown, a couple of outfits and a few pairs of shoes. The rest of the space was taken up by other things: Mr. Gordo, a picture of her and her mom, her diary, the book from Lorne, her laptop, and cell phone. Lindsey had mentioned that most technology wouldn’t work around heavily magicked places but the way Buffy figured it was better safe than sorry. 

Frowning at the little light flashing on her cell, she picked it up and stared at the screen. 

Missed calls. Unanswered text messages. Most were from girls at her school but a few were from teachers and even a couple from unknown numbers. The last thing she wanted was to feed the gossip mongers at Hemery High. 

Sighing in disgust, Buffy quickly hit delete and then the off button. Grabbing her leather purse from the nightstand, she chunked the offending object inside. Pausing to grab her makeup bag from inside, Buffy spotted the little silver tube that she‘d thrown inside so long ago. A matter of days sure but it seemed like a whole other lifetime now.

She held it in her hand for a moment and briefly contemplated mailing it back to Cordy. In the end though, Buffy simply placed it back inside and tossed the purse next to her overnight bag. Turning she headed back into the bathroom.

It was time to put her game face on. Grrr.


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did want to bring attention to the fantastic video that trickS did for Blood of Silver. Check it out at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6IEXnO0Nz4

Buffy was ready and waiting in the living room with five minutes to spare. Her bag and purse were waiting by the door and her boxes were closed up and ready to be shrunk.

When Lindsey walked in, his expression was pleasantly surprised, “I think this is the first time I’ve ever seen a female on time for anything. Good job.”

She rolled her eyes at the blatant sexism and decided to let that one go. But nerves momentarily got the best of her and she had to ask, “Am I dressed alright? To meet with the social worker, I mean?” She resisted doing a little twirl and ended up just throwing her arms out a bit in an aborted ta-da movement.

Buffy had been nervous while dressing for today. After all, her normal go to outfits were all geared towards her looking older and sexy. But Lindsey had impressed upon her the importance of impressing this woman, so she really had tried to look cute and pretty but not over the top like she’d done since she’d hit puberty. She’d chosen a soft sage green sweater, a blue jean skirt that wasn’t too short or too long(it did however have the added benefit of also making her butt look fabulous), dark gray leggings, and silver ballet flats because they were unbelievably comfortable and cute. She had left her hair down and dried into loose ringlets. Topped with light makeup and her trusty leather purse on her arm, Buffy felt put together but also young and vulnerable in a way she usually didn’t. 

Lindsey smiled, genuine warmth in his eyes, “You look lovely, Sweetheart.” He paused a moment, his dimple coming out – a sure sign his inner smartass was about to make an appearance. “You sure you can walk in those shoes? They’re pretty flat… might throw off your balance…” 

She rolled her eyes, “Suck it Lindsey.” 

He laughed like she knew he would, “Okay. The boxes ready?”

At her nod, he headed for the bedroom, pulling his wand out as he went. The first time she’d seen him do this, Buffy had commandeered the piece of wood, examining it closely. It wasn’t quite a foot, more like ten inches, and was made of what Lindsey said was Hickory. It was rougher than she’d thought it would be, with a texture like bark. When she’d asked about it, the lawyer had told her that all wands were different and to just wait until she got hers. Buffy was pretty excited for that herself.

Making quick work of it, Lindsey was soon walking back in, teeny tiny little boxes in his hand. He moved to his own overnight bag and placed them with the others in one of the inside pockets. Glancing up at her, he asked, “You ready?”

She nodded and extended her left foot in an exaggerated dancer ‘s pose. 

Lindsey glanced down at it puzzled.

Buffy shook it slowly and the chime of bells filled the room, “I told you I’d have bells on.” 

It startled him into laughter and he examined her ankle with a grin, “Where did you get that?”

She gave a small bittersweet smile. Tiny silver bells hung from a delicate silver ankle chain. Whenever she moved, it tinkled charmingly. “My mom gave it to me when I turned thirteen.” The pain in her voice didn’t need to be explained.

Lindsey gave her a soft sincere look, “It’s beautiful. Good craftsmanship.”

“Thanks.” She shuffled a bit, “Shouldn’t we go? We don’t want to be late.”

“Right.” he grabbed their bags, leaving Buffy to carry her purse. He held the front door open, “After you.”

The ride to Wolfram & Hart was a tense affair. Lindsey tried to make small talk but Buffy was too nervous to pay attention. After the fifth attempt, he’d simply given up and turned on the radio. 

The office building that housed the legal firm of Wolfram & Hart was a monument of shining glass and steel. 

Walking through the lobby was weird. Everywhere she looked were young business execs dressed in expensive suits, snapping orders to either each other or into their cell phones. Some looked outright human but Buffy could have sworn she saw a guy with tail. And then there were others that were most definitely not human. They were gigantically tall and dwarf short and every size in the middle. Some were wisp thin and a few where even built like the incredible hulk. Some had blue skin, green skin, and in one case pink skin (the poor guy looked like he was trying to fade into the background). There were feathers, fur, and some strange blue goo. And she’d thought she’d seen it all at Lorne‘s.

Once you managed to get past the dragon of a receptionist (and knowing this place, there was probably a chance she was) that they had stationed at the long marble greeting desk, glass turned to rich wood paneling and steel to marble floors. There were plush carpets and antiques and all of it combined to create a beautiful, if cold and imposing, atmosphere.

Lindsey led her to a bank of elevators situated at the back of a massive hall. She waited till he’d ushered them inside and the doors closed before turning to him.

“This is where you work every day?!” Buffy asked askance. 

Lindsey’s expression was smug, “Cool, huh? I told you, we get all kinds.”

The elevator dinged and the doors opened to admit another person - a stunning woman with dark brown hair and eyes. 

She was beautiful, Buffy decided, but in an off-putting shark-like way. She’d settle for admiring the gorgeous Manolo Blahniks and black Italian cut suit the lady was wearing. The woman gave her a once over then settled her gaze on the man next to her.

“Lindsey.” Her voice was cold.

“Lilah.” His was even colder.

Amusement and something malicious filled her eyes as she regarded the both of them, “I knew you liked small blondes, Lindsey, but cradle robbing now too? What would the senior partners say?”

Buffy gaped but fury filled Lindsey’s face and he growled, “Shut your mouth Lilah! This happens to be a client who---”

“Is just dying to know where you got those beautiful shoes?” Buffy cut in quickly. She’d thought she’d better since Lindsey looked ready to blow. Boys! Didn’t they know how to play the game? Lilah was resorting to high school mean girl tactics and luckily that was something Buffy excelled at.

The woman, Lilah, looked faintly surprised and not just a little amused, “My Shoes. Really? These old things? I think I picked them up on my last trip to New York. Don’t worry dear, you wouldn’t be able to afford them yet anyway.” Her voice was sugary sweet and just this side of nauseating. She glanced back at Lindsey and smirked before continuing, “But I’m sure Mr. McDonald would be more than happy to buy you a treat later on.”

Lindsey opened his mouth, looking more than ready to blast the harpy, so Buffy cut in again, “Oh, I’m sure he will,” her voice was no less sweet or any less poisonous and it went well with her thoughtful expression, “Only I’ll make sure he gets a pair from this season’s line. Yours are nice but they’re also out of style. I like to be a little more current.” She paused and pulled back to study the woman’s face, which was currently flushing, “If you don’t mind me asking… What are you?”

“Excuse me?!” Lilah snapped.

She widened her eyes innocently, “What kind of creature are you? Lindsey told me about how all kinds work here and well, after studying your face – I mean I don’t want to be rude but….” 

The explosion that was building on Lilah’s face was kind of funny and scary to watch. Thankfully, the elevator doors dinged and opened and Lindsey, grabbing the chance simply said, “See ya, Lilah.” and shoved her out of the elevator, hitting the close door button immediately. 

As soon as the elevator was on its way again, Lindsey snorted. And then snorted again. The way his shoulders quivered had her sighing. 

Buffy turned towards him and raised a brow, “It wasn’t that funny.”

Catching himself, he simply grinned at her, “Are you kidding? That’s Lilah Morgan. She lives to spread misery everywhere she goes. And you actually made her speechless. It was a beautiful thing. I’m definitely getting you a present!”

Pleased, Buffy asked, “But why does she dislike you so much? She took a lot of pleasure in trying to rile you.”

Lindsey hummed, “Lilah and I are actually competing with each other for a promotion right now. It’s gotten pretty ugly already and will probably get more so before it’s over.”

She frowned, “Well, that sucks.” 

He nodded again then smiled to himself, “I’ll always cherish the memory of the Lilah/Buffy meet and greet.”

Buffy rolled her eyes, “You are such a nerd.” 

Lindsey’s corner office was pretty impressive, with a big desk and even bigger windows. The walls that weren’t lined with the crystal-clear glass were lined with shelves of legal books. Actually, it was kind of intimidating.

When she mentioned this to Lindsey, he’d just snorted, “Now you’re intimidated? Maybe I should have brought you here first thing. That way I wouldn’t have gotten so much back talk.”

Buffy ignored him and pretended to examine a painting on one of the walls.

The phone on his desk buzzed and Lindsey crossed the room to answer. A moment later and Buffy heard, “Send her up.”

The butterflies in her stomach were doing the mambo and she had a faint thought about throwing up. Whatever was on her face must have been bad because Lindsey started to looked concerned as he asked, “You okay? You just got a green tinge to your face.”

She nodded and tried to think calming thoughts. She wasn’t really nervous about meeting the agent but she was sure as hell nervous about what came after. She’d be entering into another world, living in another country, meeting family that she’d never even known existed. Hell, she’d probably be expected to drink tea! And what if they didn’t like her? Buffy knew she’d be expected to learn magic, but what if she sucked at it? All the thoughts swirled in her head and settled in her stomach like a cold weight, her stomach shifted uneasily and Buffy could feel her face break out in a cold sweat. 

Lindsey asked, “Do you want to go to the bathroom and freshen up a bit? Maybe get a glass of water?”

She shook her head and took a deep breath. Then another. And another. She had to do this. She could do this. She was her mother’s daughter, whatever that might mean now. Buffy drew herself as tall as possible and squared her shoulders. She was ready.

Just in time too, because a moment later there was a firm knock on the door and a woman entered. Buffy looked askance at her, taking in the woman’s appearance. The social worker was younger than what she’d expected. Mid-twenties maybe. She had a tall, thin build with a pretty face and big silver-blue eyes. What looked to be soft yellow hair was pulled back into a severe bun at the nap of her neck. The woman was dressed bizarrely in an unflattering, slightly moldy looking brown suit. Clunky black loafers adorned her feet. She carried a briefcase made from some sort of reptile skin that Buffy didn’t even recognize.

The woman crossed the room, glancing between Lindsey and Buffy, before extending her hand and giving them both a firm shake. 

“Hello, my name is Ann Steele. Lindsey McDonald I presume?” at his nod she moved right back to Buffy, her expression warm and kind, “You must be Ms. Summers. It’s very nice to meet you.”

Buffy found it easy to return her smile, “You too.”

The woman gave them a once over and a slightly puzzled, “Did you send your things ahead?”

Lindsey smiled, “I went ahead and shrunk most of everything. Its secure,” he gestured to the two bags by his desk, “We‘re just going to carry these.”

Looking a bit flustered, Ms. Steele smiled at him, “I’m sorry, I just had no idea you were a wizard. When they said you were a lawyer and worked at Wolfram & Hart… well, I just assumed--”

Amused, Lindsey smiled, “Don’t worry about it. Happens all the time.”

Buffy gave them both a quizzical look. Why wouldn’t she think Lindsey was a wizard?

The social worker tore her gaze away from the lawyer‘s. She cleared her throat, “Okay, now are you both clear on how we‘ll be traveling?”

“To Ronoke, you mean?” Buffy asked.

Ms. Steele gave a slight smile, “To Roanoke, sweetie. It’s the oldest wizarding city in America. We won’t be able to apparate there, however, so we’ll be taking a portkey.”

Buffy understood about half those words, “A portkey?”

Lindsey explained, “Basically, it’s an object that if you touch at a specific time, will then ‘teleport’ you to a specific location.”

“Oh.” Well, she’d believe it when she saw it.

Ms. Steele explained further, “Now we will be making a small stop halfway to the colony but it won‘t take long. I need to drop off some paperwork and conduct a small interview for another case. But you two shouldn’t be bored, there will be plenty of stuff to do to keep you occupied until I’m done.”

Lindsey and Buffy exchanged looks. Exactly what kind of stuff? 

The agent dug through her briefcase for a moment before pulling a small object out. It was a normal looking key, the type for houses or apartments. She explained, “Typically, port keys are made from random objects but I prefer to use an old key of mine. A little ironic, I know, but it works for me.” Ms. Steele finished with a shrug. She glanced at her watch and gestured for them to move closer, “Okay, we have one minute to activation. Everyone got everything?”

Lindsey nodded and grabbed both of their overnight bags. Buffy clutched her purse closer but nodded too. When Lindsey strode forward and placed a finger on the key, both grown-ups turned to give her an expectant look.

She took a deep breath. This was it. God, she still felt like throwing up.

Buffy walked forward and placed her right index finger on the key. Lindsey caught her eye and gave her an encouraging smile. 

She appreciated the small rush of comfort that caused but she certainly wasn’t prepared for the jarring sensation of being yanked by her belly button into a swirling vortex.


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In honor of Senneres - thanks for all your encouragement <3

Buffy tumbled to her knees on the asphalt with a loud grunt.

Dimly, she could hear Lindsey and Ms. Steele behind her. They’d staggered coming out of the portkey portal but had remained standing.

“You okay?” It was Lindsey. He held out a hand to help her up. 

Gratefully, she grasped it and let him pull her to her feet. Buffy swayed slightly before regaining her equilibrium. She turned and glared at the two grown-ups, “A little heads up that we were entering the swirling vortex of doom would have been nice. You guys are lucky I didn’t barf all over the place.”

The lawyer smirked but Ms. Steele looked apologetic, “I’m sorry, Miss Summers. You’re right, I should have warned you that it’s a little jarring if you aren‘t used to it.”

Buffy huffed but then shrugged it off, “That’s okay. Just make sure to warn me next---”

She stopped when she caught sight of what was in from of them.

“Holy Shit.”

It was her Nirvana. It was huge and beautiful. The way the light hit the glass actually made her knees a little weak.

Lindsey hooked an arm around her shoulders and playfully scolded her, “Hey now, watch the language.”

She elbowed him, “Whatever. Don’t you realize what that is?”

He raised his brows and drawled, “Sure. It’s a mall.” 

Appalled, she rounded on him, “A mall? It’s not just a mall! It’s the best one. It’s the freakin’ Mall of America!”

He rolled his eyes.

Her tone amused, Ms. Steele spoke up, “I have a client here that I need to meet with. He works inside so I figured you guys could keep yourselves occupied while I speak with him.”

Clearly alarmed at the light in ward’s eyes, Lindsey asked somewhat nervously, “Uh, exactly how long are you going to be?”

The social worker smiled, “Probably about an hour and a half.”

Buffy began walking towards the entrance. As far as she was concerned, they were wasting time.

They reached the main doors and Ms. Steele took the lead. She led them through a few department stores and out into the open, towards the main escalators. 

Buffy’s head swiveled in every direction, trying to soak up all the sights. Lindsey walked next to her, occasionally pointing things out. They passed the Carousel, the Theme Park, even the Underwater Aquarium. She was definitely coming back to check those out.

It was once they’d stepped onto the escalators that she noticed something was wrong. Half way up to the second floor, Ms. Steele reached out to a guard rail and tapped a strange pattern into the side. They were nearing the step off point and Buffy begin to shift a bit. Only she couldn’t. Her feet were firmly attached to the step and no matter how hard she pulled, she simply couldn’t move. 

Panicking, she turned to look at Lindsey. He was frowning as well, and clearly trying to move his feet. Ms. Steele turned their head and gave them a reassuring smile, “Sorry, I should have warned you beforehand. We’re entering the magical section of the mall through its main entrance, the escalators. The charm that’s keeping your feet in place is just for safety. They’ll come unstuck as soon as we need to step off.”

Surprised, Buffy asked, “The magical section?” She turned to Lindsey, “Did you know about this?”

He grinned, “I’d heard stories about this place but I’ve actually never been before.” 

The social worker’s eyes gave a little sparkle when she turned to them and said, “Just watch.”

As the escalator brought them to the top, Buffy braced herself for another ride like the portkey. But that wasn’t what happened at all. Ms. Steele was standing in front of her one minute then simply disappeared the moment her step hit the top. Before she could freak out however, her own step hit the top. She squeezed her eyes shut out of reflex and waited for the overwhelming vertigo to hit. But it didn’t.

Feeling no change, Buffy eased one eye open and then the other. The escalator was still going straight towards the dome ceiling of the mall. She glanced back behind her. A faint wall of light separated the continuing stairs from the general public. She could see the other people stepping off at the original landing and heading into stores, seemingly unaware that the stairs kept moving. Lindsey caught her eye and grinned. Buffy turned back around, and could now see Ms. Steele who was also looking back at her.

“Everything okay?” the woman asked.

The Social worker moved, stepping closer. Buffy nodded and shuffled her feet, only now noticing that she could move again. 

“Pay attention, we’re stepping off in just a second.” Ms. Steele instructed, pointing a little ahead of them.

Now that it was pointed out, Buffy could see the landing coming into view. Set directly under the dome, was a whole other floor, invisible from the ground. Although, logically she understood that it had to be a particular size to fit inside the mall, it seemed exponentially larger than anything else. Once they reached it, all three companions stepped off. She gaped at their surroundings.

It was clearly a shopping center but unlike any Buffy had ever seen. It was crowded, people in bizarre types of outfits flooded the area. Some wore normal clothes like she was, but most were dressed in strange looking long dresses, men and women alike. There were people wearing outlandish hats, a few even had swirling capes. It was the stores, however, that caught and held her attention. Everywhere Buffy looked were display windows filled with things she had never even imagined. Automatically moving to get a closer look, she was stopped as Lindsey snagged the back of her sweater.

“Not so fast, short stuff.” He laughed.

She huffed and glared. He knew how she felt about the short comments, “Who you calling short stuff, Tiny?”

Ms. Steele stepped in before things got ugly, “Okay, I’ve got to meet my client. I’ll meet you both at the food court a little after one o‘clock. Mr. McDonald, you’ll stay with Miss Summers, won’t you?”

Buffy thought that maybe they both looked a little insulted at that because the social worker beat a hasty retreat without waiting for an answer.

They watched her round a corner behind a display table of brightly colored, swirling doohickeys. 

“So,” Lindsey asked, “where to first?”

Buffy slowly grinned. The poor Bastard.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Buffy considered herself a connoisseur of shopping but she had never seen anything like this. Although some of the department stores actually looked similar to their non-magical counterparts, there were a few key differences. The magical ones actually had mannequins that moved around, showing off their wares in varying poses. The clothes themselves were different too. They still had the normal choices but at least half of the selection were strange garments called Robes. 

When asked, Lindsey had explained about the different apparel wizards wore. Buffy had simply wrinkled her nose. While some of the ‘robes’ were cute, they still seemed fairly medieval. 

They walked by and gawked at even stranger stores. The most notable were Herb’s Discount - a small place filled with plants that looked abnormal and put out some truly funky smells, The Kitchen Witch - a kitchen supply store filled with cauldrons and what looked like torture devices. Lindsey assured her that they weren’t, just old-fashioned cooking tools. There was a toy store that proclaimed to everyone that it was ‘Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium’. Visible through the store front window, was utter chaos. Toys seemingly came to life and began playing with the children that tore through the aisles.

And there were so many more, that there was no possible way for them to see everything in the time that they had. Buffy was horribly disappointed. For all she knew, she’d never have another chance to be here. Lindsey tried to cheer her up, promising to buy her something nice to remember this place by. When she pointed out that he already owed her a present from the Buffy/Lilah incident, Lindsey grinned and promised to surprise her with something really good.

When he tried to hurry her by a pink and red bedecked window display, Buffy’s parental alarm went off and she dug her heels in. She glanced up at the colorful lettering above the doors and raised her eyebrows. Siren’s Secret.

Lindsey was turning a rather alarming shade of red around his ears, eyes darting for any possible escape route. 

Examining the lurid display in the window, Buffy surmised it was the wizarding version of Victoria’s Secret. The little devil on her shoulder gave her a poke and she grinned, “Come on, let’s check this place out.” She began walking towards the door.

Lindsey grabbed her purse strap and began tugging her in the opposite direction, “Uh, actually, if you went to see more of this place before we leave we need to keep walking.”

She rolled her eyes and shrugged him off, “Oh please, we have plenty of time. Now, come on.”

This time she snagged his arm and began tugging him towards her goal.

A look of panic was growing on his face and Buffy had to bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. This was the most fun she’d had since…

“Look, uh,” Lindsey ground to a halt and began digging in his pocket, “I just remembered that I need to pick something up before we leave. Here,” he pulled out a wad of cash and handed it to her, “use this if you want to, uh, buy anything. Most of the stores will take No-maj money, but if they don’t… I saw a Gringotts’s counter back that way where you can exchange it.” He gave a weak wave to the left.

Buffy took the money but was confused, “Okay, wait, what? What the heck is No-maj money and what’s a Gringotts?” 

Lindsey seemed to calm down a bit to give her a sheepish explanation, “Sorry. I guess I forgot to mention it. No-Maj is what the Wizarding American Public call non-magical people. So that,” he pointed to the money in her hand, “is called no-maj money. Gringotts is a wizarding bank. They’ll exchange money into Dragots for you. I explained to you about wizarding currency, right?” 

Buffy nodded. He had briefly mentioned them having different currency the first night he’d explained the whole magical deal.

“Okay. When you’re done… looking around,” he was deliberately not looking towards the store behind her, “meet me in the food court, okay?”

Buffy’s eyes gleamed, “Okay.” Oh, she was so gonna shop.

Lindsey gave her an unsure glance, “You will stay out of trouble, right?”

She rolled her eyes and gave him a light push, “Just go you worrywart! Jeez, I’ll be on my best behavior!”

He left and Buffy waited until he was out of sight before ducking into the store.

It was pretty cool. Although it pretty much sold the same sort of items and in the same style as Victoria’s Secret, it was just more. Bras, panties, and pajamas were all in colors that Buffy had rarely seen in nature let alone lingerie. They were made out of strange foreign materials too, tags noting things like Acromantula silk or Fwooper feathers. 

Buffy moved out of the way of a moving mannequin, who was clearly on the way to showing off a cobalt blue lace nightie to a few giggling witches in the back. She headed towards their beauty products lined against their far wall. There was perfume and makeup, but also tiny little pink, red, and purple potion bottles.

Picking a pink one up she read the label, Allura. It was guaranteed to make the wearer alluring no matter what they looked like. Impressed, Buffy moved closer to examine the rest of their products. 

By the time She left, swinging a pretty pink shopping bag with a black double S printed on the front, Buffy was eager to see what else this place had to offer. 

The mall was somewhat crowded and she had to squeeze by a large group of teenage boys in blue and cranberry colored robes hanging around a display window, apparently ogling a broomstick. 

Huh, weird.

She brushed up against one boy standing in the back of the group and as he turned a serious face to glance at her, she found her own gaze momentarily arrested. He was tall and broad shouldered but the rest of his body was hidden by robes that looked like they covered a school uniform of some sort. His hair was lush and dark and neatly combed back, accenting ever dark eyes, and handsome features. She felt herself flush when their eyes met and held. She didn’t know what look her own face held but his was…  


Two other boys in the group turned to see what had caught their friend’s attention. Although, all three wore the same colorful robes, they couldn’t have been more different; One, slightly shorter than the other two but built like a football player with a broad good-natured face, gold curls, and remarkable blue eyes. The other was far more exotic in his looks; tall and model thin, golden-skinned with close cropped snow-colored hair, a sharp face that could stop traffic and flashing gold colored eyes. He gave her an impressed, if not rude, once-over and shot her a wide wicked grin when he saw her bright pink bag. 

Flustered but trying to hide it, she gave him an unamused look but all he did was give her a wink. Buffy gave a slight sniff before turning away, ignoring all three boys in favor of the store a little further down that had caught her eye. 

It was a bookstore. Delicate gold lettering on the door and window proclaimed it as The Written Word.

She entered and tried hard not to stare. As everything in this place, it was unlike any bookstore she’d ever seen. Books of all shapes, sizes, and made of every possible material seemed to line every wall and cover every surface. It was crowded in here too. People milled around in the aisles, examining this and that. They sat in chairs or even on the floor, reading or drinking coffee. 

Examining the titles, Buffy was blown away. They had books about magic on Everything. 

And boy, did she want to buy them. She’d never been a huge book lover but she found herself wanting to spend hours going through these. She was carrying around an armful before she realized it, and it took a few stern minutes of talking to herself before Buffy managed to put them back down. She didn’t even know magic yet or have a wand so there was no reason to have those books. Besides, she still had Lorne’s gift, the book on wandless spells. If she was going to be reading anything it should probably be that. 

A firm handle on herself and more importantly her money, Buffy turned to walk back out of the store only to stop at the display set beside the exit. 

It was a table under a sign that advertised a sale, and was piled high with diaries and journals. Buffy had kept a diary since she’d first learned to write. Back home, she’d kept a box filled with them in her closet. Currently, they were packed up, shrunken with the rest of her belongings. 

She picked one up. The cover was made of rich dark brown leather and inlaid with a delicate gold and silver pattern. The cream-colored paper pages were of heavy stock. She ran a finger down the spine. Her mother would have loved it.

“Ah, I see you’ve found something that strikes your fancy.” 

Buffy turned. It was a tall thin young woman, with brown hair and eyes. She wore glasses and was very pretty in a birdlike way. Her name tag had swirly golden lettering that said ‘Fred’. She was restocking books in the children’s section next to the table. In her arm was a book with the title ‘The Little Broomstick Girl’. 

“Yeah, it’s beautiful.” she gave the woman a smile.

Fred gestured to the other side of the table, “We have some really nice quills and pens too.”

Buffy gave a dubious look to the feathered writing tools, “Oh, that’s okay. I’m set with this.” she gave the diary a little wave.

Fred led her to the checkout counter.

“First time to the mall?” she asked.

“That obvious?” Buffy asked back.

The older girl laughed, “Nah, just never seen you in here before. I’m the owner and I have a really good eye for faces. Most of my customers come back especially if they’re in school but I don’t remember ever having noticed you before.”

Buffy tucked some hair behind her ear as Fred rang her up, “Oh, well… I’m kinda new. To all this.” 

The girl shot her a puzzled look and Buffy elaborated as she handed her some money, “To the magic thing.”

“Oh! Wow!” she seemed surprised, “Well, here take this.” She dug under the counter and came out with a taco bell wrapper. She flushed a little and dug back in, this time producing a novel sized book. Placing it in the bag she said, “It’s called The Wizarding World at large by Nate Noall. It was on our best sellers list ten weeks in a row! It goes over a little bit of everything and will help answer any of your questions.”

“Really?” Buffy asked, interested “How much is it?”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s my own personal copy and you need it more than I do. Just enjoy.” Fred chirped cheerfully, “And remember, The Written Word carries every book known. If you ever need anything but can’t make it in to the store, just owl us your order.”

Feeling a little dazed, Buffy said, “Okay… thanks for the book and everything. That was really nice of you.”

“Your welcome. Have a great day!” was her cheerful reply. 

Buffy watched the incredibly perky girl head over to another customer. Was it her or was that girl a little too happy? 

She started to head for the food court, sure that Lindsey was waiting on her by now.

She rounded a corner and yet another store front caught her attention. The sign said Centurion Instruments and the display was filled with moving silver gadgets.

Buffy bit her lip. She supposed she had time for one more store.

The inside was huge and cavernous and it contained gleaming metal gizmos that whirled, banged, tinkled, and chimed. From what Buffy could tell, it looked like the wizarding answer to their lack of technology. An aisle near the front held nothing but pocket-sized mirrors. She was confused at first until she read a display sign, stating they were Muna Mirrors and used for communication over long distances.

The place was filled with all manner of things, most that even after Buffy read their display signs she still didn’t understand. But the best, Buffy decided, was the Ampha Player.

It looked like the inside parts of a clock, only in bright shiny silver. Effervescent blue lights swirled around and inside it and right in the front of its main parts was a peculiar little holder. In it was placed an Orb. According to the display, an Orb when placed inside the holder would play music just like a CD. The Orb itself was the size of a golf ball and radiated the same blue light as the Ampha Player.

She gave it a wistful look. She wouldn’t even be able to play her own iPod anymore.

“Ah, there she is!”

Buffy froze at that. The voice was triumphant but hushed and not one she recognized. She didn’t see anyone in her obvious line of sight. 

She leaned forward, pretending to study a shelf filled with orbs and listened again.

“Have you ever seen anything so---” said one admiringly. 

“Shut up.” Was hissed.

“But that’s a work of art if I’ve ever seen---” said the first, teasingly.

“Shut up.” Was growled.

The voices were coming from a hidden isle behind her. In the reflection of the store front window she could see it was the three boys from outside. They were watching her from around the corner and Buffy felt herself deeply flush as she realized what they were talking about. 

“Oh, come on, Graves! I saw your face when you saw her – put color in your cheeks like I’ve never seen!” Crowed the thin one with white hair, needling the one with the dark hair and eyes. The latter was scowling at his companion. The blond brawny one was rolling his eyes and signing as he edged away from his friends.

“Well, if you don’t want a go at her does that mean I can—" 

A scuffle broke out and Buffy turned away. Apparently, boys were all the same regardless of magic. 

“Hello.”

Buffy turned. It was the blond one. He’d actually left his friends and walked over. His smile was open and friendly.

Mildly surprised, she found herself returning it. “Hi.” 

“Sorry about my friends. I guess manners go out the window when faced with a pretty face. I’ve never seen you at Ilvermorny. Do you go to a different school?” His manner was as warm as was his gaze which seemed unusually perceptive for a teen boy. At his voice, his companions had stopped their rough housing and, seeing where there erst-while friend had gone, it brought them both over in time to hear his last question.

The exotic boy, the one who seemed like the instigator of the group, gave her another leering once over, shooting her a rakish grin, “You’re too pretty to go to Salem. Maybe one of the Southern schools?”

Buffy floundered for a moment, unsure on how to answer. Somehow the recent events in her life didn’t seem conductive to casual conversation.

“Are you home schooled?” It was the third boy, serious and sloe-eyed. His voice was dark and smooth with a hint of a lilting melody. Like he’d learned to talk as a child from someone who had spoken with an accent. 

Irrationally, she could feel the color in her cheeks rise again when her eyes caught his. She gave a slow blink and ran the tip of her tongue over her suddenly dry lips. She saw his dark eyes watch the movement before she managed to respond, “Um, actually, I went to school in California… But I’m heading to England right now.”

All the boys looked disappointed at that before Blond and Brawny perked up, “So you’ll be going to Hogwarts then? I’ve heard it’s pretty impressive… right there up there with Ilvermorny on the list of the best schools.”

Buffy was assuming he was talking about another school and not a type of wizarding venereal disease. “I guess. I’m going to stay with family out there for now.”

Snow White, as she’d taken to referring to the instigator of the group in her mind, seemed to have the attention span of a toddler as he’d started to peer into the ampha display she’d studied for so long. “Thinking about getting one of these? No denying its awesome but that’s too many Dragots for me. Would be cool though.”

Buffy shrugged, “Yeah, but like you said, way expensive. I was just looking.”

“Well, there’s no harm in looking.” He grinned at her, his meaning clear. She was mildly impressed that everything he said could be twisted back into flirting mode. Extending his hand, “My name’s Mikael Picquery. And you, Sweetheart?”

She slanted him a look as she slowly took his hand, “Buffy Summers.”

He grinned, wide and wicked, keeping hold of her hand. “Lovely.”

Rolling his eyes, blond and brawny elbowed his friend aside, claiming Buffy’s hand, “George Kowalski.” He gave her hand an actual good strong shake before reaching out and snagging the silent boy next to him. “And this is Tristan Graves. Say hello, Tristan.”

Tristan shot him a sharp look at the manhandling but stepped forward anyway, taking her hand in his. His hand was dry and slightly calloused but he held her own like it was a precious fragile thing and he met her gaze before saying, “It’s nice to meet you, Buffy.” 

She smiled up at him, pink-cheeked and feeling shy and vulnerable and more her age than she ever had. “It’s nice to meet you too, Tristan.”


End file.
